More pictures of Mayyassah and a request for feedback
Mayyassah Al Arab is by Clarion CF out of Cinnabar Myst and is the youngest foal of the Al-Dahdah preservation program of old American asil lines. She has lines to Hanad from his son Mainad and his daughter Dhanad. All the photos are by Kim Davis.
I am genuinely interested in your candid and critical feedback on her conformation and overall balance, even at this early stage. It will help me decide whether to breed her dam and/or her sister another time. The dam’s neck is a bit short and I worry that her daughter inherited that. I also think the hindquarter, while very strong, is a bit droopy. On the other hand, I really like the broad forehead, the long ears, and the good shoulder, as well as the showy attitude, the head and tail carriage and the vigor and athleticism of this filly.
Edouard: You are lucky to have such a nice filly! The 4th photo from the top shows her in true collection with a nice arch to her neck indicating that its set into her shoulder at a touch more than halfway up- as to length, if she’s got the normal number of bones in her neck it will be plenty long enough. No her croup is not droopy- in fact our western arabs have been handicapped by a lack of angle and undertuck of their hindquarters. With a nicer angle she’s going to be a better mover than most. If her legs are straight and her bone ample she should also be a good producer down the line.. And with all of the Davenport and Blunt in her pedigree she should also have a good disposition- makes them easier to work with and is a definite plus. So if I remember correctly she should be a Kuhaylat Aldahdah, is that right?
best wishes
Bruce Peek
These are fabulous pictures — she’s only 2 weeks old here. I’ve heard that to get a “peek” at how a young horse will look when they are older, look at them at 3 months of age. Be patient – you’ll probably be quite happy. She’s has a nice presence in the photos — quite confident carriage.
I on the other hand, heard that you could figure them out at birth (less than 24 hours old) or at fully maturity (5, even 7 years) but not in between..
Edouard, I must agree with Bruce, you are lucky to have this filly! What may appear to be a short neck on this filly is a fully functional neck that shows natural flexion with bascule (sp) of her back at free exercise. Her haunches come nicely under her and I would bet she could “stop, turn on a dime and give you change.”
Carrie: That was the term I was searching for- bascule- an arched back that comes into being through movement. A lot of horses don’t offer it. When you find one that does buy her or him. When you breed one that freely bascules, breed that same combination again because, all other things being equal, such a horse will be able to carry their rider without going lame and is worth a lot.
best wishes
Bruce Peek
I agree with Bruce and Carrie — this one’s going to be quite the athlete.
I love the deer-like prettiness and fineness of her head coupled with that strength and power.
I have a hard time telling them at birth, especially when they’re scrunched up. Three days, three weeks, three months is the timetable I’ve heard.
She has an excellent shoulder angle, and what’s even nicer is that she has plenty of length from the point of shoulder to the elbow, which is going to let her really extend when she is moving. In some of the pics her neck looks a wee bit short and in others it looks good, but I never worry too much about length of neck as long as there is good width between the jowls. It is that more than anything that allows a horse to bridle up nicely. If they have no width there, it doesn’t matter how long their neck is, they will cut their wind off when asked to flex at the poll.
I like her a lot.( and she has a lovely eye)
I’d like to see her again at three months old, as well……
Okay, everyone is going to scream at me. I have had foals that are so gorgeous as babies, right from the beginning, you think, “Well that’s definitely a National Champion,” only to have is back get as long as an ironing board, it’s croup never grow beyond the length as it had as a foal, although the hip itself is deep and to have it get taller and taller and taller, because the cannons are part of the genetic makeup of an ancestor you never saw a picture of, while the neck remains the shortest thing in the body.
And, I have had lesser lights, just bloom into incredible horses given tincture of time. Pug ugly with serious conformational defects rarely gets a whole lot better, and so beautiful you have to shield your eyes, doesn’t always remain that way. Genes have a unique quality of turning on a particular conformational structure, when their time has come to modify that structure – so my feeling is if the foals are good legged, have reasonably good structure at two to three weeks, then you just play a waiting game.
I’ve also had a gorgeous filly, in a mare and filly class, win higher than it’s dam, and at three years I’ve hidden the horse behind the barn, but at five, the same filly was bordering on breathtaking. However, the sire was a beautiful horse and the dam was a very good mare.
Also, rarely is a foal so superior to both sire and dam, while it can be incremental improvements on one or the other, that you think you have hit the jackpot. Although this occasionally occurs in a true F1, they are also not that common.
Edouard, I think she is spectacular and not only athletic with good lines and angles but also she has something special in her quality. I’d not hesitate to repeat this breeding. Also Kim’s photos are cinder full and she looks the picture of well being! I like her better than her dam and aunt so far, so keep at what you are doing!